Medications

There are medications for depression such as antidepressant that can be used to treat the problem. And there is no one kind of antidepressant. It goes on various types; antidepressants are categorized by how it may naturally affect the occurring chemicals in your brain to change your mood.

Here are the lists of antidepressants:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

– It is usual for doctors to initially prescribe SSRI. This is because, from the entire list of antidepressant, it has fewer side effects and causes a few bothersome. The contents of SSRI are fluoxetine (Prozac, sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro). SSRI’s common effect is having delayed orgasm or absence of sexual desire, digestive problems, restlessness, headache, insomnia, and jitteriness.

• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

– This antidepressant has the same side effects as the SSRI. Maybe some differences are that during the medication you can increase sweating, dry mouth, palpitation, and constipation. It is made out of duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor XR) and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq).

• Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs).

– This kind of antidepressant doesn’t give you any problem with a sexual side effect. However, having high dosage may lead you to have a high risk of seizures. In this category Bupropion (Wellbutrin) falls.

• Atypical antidepressants.

– The name goes as is because of it not necessarily goes under the antidepressant category. This includes trazodone (Oleptro) and mirtazapine (Remeron). This is usually taken before sleeping to work as a sedating medicine. With this category, drugs such as vilazodone (Viibryd) are added. For this one, it also has a side effect on sexual desire but only on a low risk. Another side effect is diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

• Tricyclic antidepressants.

– This may be the oldest kind of antidepressant. However, it remains to be as effective as the new ones. However, because of severe side effects, it is not being prescribed unless you have tried other antidepressants and no improvements have come about. Common side effects are having dry mouth, constipation, and blurred vision, retention of urine, fast heartbeat, and confusion. It is also believed that it can cause you to gain weight.

• Monoamine oxidizes inhibitors (MAOIs).

– MAOIs like tranylcypromine (Parnate) and phenelzine (Nardil) is being used on a last resort basis. It is used as such because of very harmful effects that can be even deadly. Taking MAOIs does not fit all kind of food ingredients such as cheese, pickles, and wines, so, people taking it are asked to take a diet. It can’t also be combined with SSRIs.

• Augmentation

– Doctors may suggest you to have other kinds of medication. It may be a fusion of taking other antidepressant with stimulants, mood-stabilizing medications, anti-anxiety or even antipsychotic.

How to find the right medication

Don’t take things so fast. Be careful and read about it on the net. Always consider the side effects of each depressant and if it is suitable to your health. Eventually, you’ll learn what the right one for you is.

If after taking medications for depression and still you don’t see any improvements then the doctor may recommend for you to have a blood test. This blood checking can immediately check what kind of treatment that will suit your needs. One way of making it is by using cytochrome P450 (CYP450). This test will tell if your body can even try to process certain kind of medication. It may also help you identify the right antidepressant for you. This way, you’ll be sure for a healthier and safer treatment.